• Recently, Prime Minister launched the e-portal ‘Bhartiya Vastra Evam Shilpa Kosh – A Repository of Textiles & Crafts’ on the occasion of ‘National Handloom Day’ on 7 August, 2023.
  • Portal is developed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology.

Steps to Promote Handloom In India

• Under ‘One District One Product’ scheme, special products from every district are being promoted. 
  • Special stalls are being set up at railway stations of the country for the sale of such products.
• Ekta Mall being developed in every capital city of the states by the government to promote handicrafts and products made from handlooms from every state and district under one roof 
• Weaver MUDRA Scheme: Under the Weaver MUDRA Scheme, credit at concessional interest rate of 6% is provided to the handloom weavers.  
  • Margin money assistance to a maximum of Rs. 10,000 per weaver and credit guarantee for a period of 3 years is also provided.
• Scheme by Ministry of Textiles: 
  • National Handloom Development Programme.
  • Raw Material Supply Scheme.
  • Under the above schemes, financial assistance is provided to the eligible handloom agencies/weavers for raw materials, Common infrastructure development, etc.

• Recent meeting of the Governing Council of ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund (AISTDF) highlighted the importance of India’s ASEAN technology partnership for prosperity of today and for the next generations.

About ASEAN India S&T Development Fund (AISTDF)

• It was established in 2008, jointly by the Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• Aim: To support R&D (Research and Development ) projects and associated project development activities.
• Objectives of AISTDF
  • Encourage cooperation in science, technology, and innovation, including joint research on areas such as health, infectious diseases, environment, agriculture, energy, biodiversity, food processing, materials development, and space technology. 
  • Promote biotechnology through capacity building and joint research. 
  • Institute the “ASEAN-India Collaborative R&D Program” to support collaborative research and sharing of facilities between ASEAN MS and India.
• Eligible institutions in India: Universities, Publicly Funded Research Institutes and Labs and educational /academic Research Institutes.
• Eligible institutions in ASEAN: All Research Institutions, Universities, other Research and Academic Institutions which are eligible to receive funding through ASEAN are eligible for receiving funding under AISTDF.

• India’s internet growth has been rapid in recent years, lifted by cheap tariffs. But it is a hotbed of contradictions, with frequent shutdowns, low speeds, and poor digital literacy.

Advantage India

• $1 trillion: Projected size of India’s internet economy by 2030, according to a joint report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company.
• 53%: Share of 5G internet users in India by 2028, according to Ericsson Mobility Report.
• 2030: Expected rollout of 6G technology as per the Bharat 6G vision document.
• 71.6%: Share of gram panchayats ready with broadband services as of March 2023.
• Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) had an estimated 759 million active internet users as of 2022, for the first time comprising a majority of the population.
  • Financial Technology Sector: UPI alone clocked 9.3 billion transactions worth ₹14.8 trillion in June 2023. 

Paradox in India

• According to the World Bank, Internet penetration in India (43%) lags the world average (63%).
• Internet shutdowns to control law and order in times of unrest. In 2022, India saw 45% of all shutdowns globally. 
  • India’s repeated attempts to ask for social media content to be censored has also raised concerns. 
  • Over the last three years, India has been among the top five countries sending such demands to Twitter (now X).
• According to Freedom House’s 2022 Freedom on the Net report, the internet in India is only “partly free”. 
  • It measures the freedom to access the internet across 70 countries, placed India at the 55th position with a score of 51 out of 100.